St.

Bronislava Elementary School

Dear Parents, Welcome to a new school year! It has been a very busy summer with a lot of planning but I hope you all had plenty of time with family and friends. You may have heard we have been accepted into the voucher program as a voucher school. This is great news for SPACS and families who would like to attend a Catholic School and couldnt afford it in the past. The first day of school for students will be Tuesday, September 3rd. Students may bring their supplies to school on Thursday, August 29 from 12:30-2. Teachers will be available to welcome the students. If you are unable to make this time and date feel free to spread out bringing their supplies so they arent too loaded down on the bus the first day. The science curriculum for grades K-5 was rewritten. Social studies will be done next. You will be able to find the entire SPACS curriculum on the SPACS website. We will be using the diocesan Virtues program for the students throughout the day. We also have a new end of the day time. Start time will still be 8:00 but the buses will be picking up the students at 2:55 every day. That will give us 20 extra teaching minutes every day. I am very excited to be working with Monsignor Burrill this year. He will be coming into the classrooms and he will work with your children to better understand their faith. We will be welcoming Kristie Kosobucki as the new music teacher. She will be working with the children in music as well as for Mass. One of the most important aspects of a successful education is for the school and family to work together. As a parent, you need to be actively involved in your childs education. There are three things that I urge each of you to do every day. 1. Share the Catholic faith-The reason that Catholic schools exist is to educate children in the Catholic faith. Parents are the best role models for their children, and what you do will have a huge impact on your child. Here are two key things that you can do: Pray with your child every day. Daily prayer, whether it is before meals, before bed, or any other time, is vital to faith development. Become active in your parish. Attend Mass every Sunday, and volunteer to help with your time, talent, and treasure. Weekly Mass attendance helps develop that expectation in our children about the importance of God, of thanking Him each week for all he has done. From a selfish standpoint, our parishes are the biggest financial supporters of SPACS, and our support of the parish makes a big difference for the schools. 2. Read to or with your child daily-every bit of educational research shows that reading is the key factor in educational success. A daily reading session will improve reading ability and provide more opportunities as you child grows. 3. Spend time with your child. With our busy schedules, it is easy to run from one activity to another. Take the time to listen to your child. Talk about the things they do well, their successes. Children grow up so quickly and these years will fly by. If you ever have any questions, please dont hesitate to call me. The staff and I will do everything we can to make sure that your childs year is successful and positive. Ellen Lopas Principal